The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to automated Data Center Bridging (DCB) configuration of access switches.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Additionally, some embodiments of information handling systems include non-transient, tangible machine-readable media that include executable code that, when run by one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of methods described herein. Some common forms of machine readable media include, for example, floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and/or any other medium from which a processor or computer is adapted to read.
Computer networks form the interconnection fabric that enables reliable and rapid communications between computer systems and data processors that are in both close proximity to each other and at distant locations. These networks create a vast spider web of intranets and internets for handling all types of communication and information. Making all of this possible is a vast array of network switching products that make forwarding decisions in order to deliver packets of information from a source system or first network node to a destination system or second network node. Due to the size, complexity, and dynamic nature of these networks, sophisticated network switching products are often used to implement the interconnection fabric.
Information handling systems and data centers often include large numbers of networked devices including end stations, hosts, servers, network switching devices, and/or the like. The networked devices are typically coupled together using one or more local area networks (LANs). The LANs provide physical interconnectivity between the networked devices and provide one or more protocols for forwarding and/or exchanging network traffic between the networked devices. One of the more popular types of LAN is the Ethernet. The Ethernet includes a large family of protocols and standards for implementing physical interconnectivity, network access, and data link functionality. In the TCP/IP network model, Ethernet typically provides network functionality up through layer 2 of the network protocol stack.
In most cases, Ethernet provides a best efforts delivery model for network traffic. This means that networked devices using Ethernet make a best effort to deliver packets of network traffic to the desired destination, but no guarantee of delivery is provided. Changing network conditions such as network congestion, delay, and/or the like may result in the dropping of packets and thus the non-delivery of the affected packet. Some mechanisms, such as link-level flow control (LLFC), may provide some basic mechanisms for addressing congestion, but other layers in the network protocol stack, such as the layer 4 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), have traditionally been used to provide guaranteed delivery mechanisms that ensure lossless delivery of network packets.
More recently, the Ethernet standard has been extended to provide better management and control of network traffic and network bandwidth at the layer 2 level. Several of these Ethernet extensions are included in a group of features often referred to as Data Center Bridging (DCB). DCB typically provides network resource sharing mechanisms that allow multiple types of network traffic to more effectively share network links between networked devices and to improve the likelihood of lossless delivery of network traffic. DCB includes mechanisms for priority flow control (PFC), bandwidth management, congestion notification, and other related mechanisms. PFC may provide the ability to create multiple queues for a network link with each queue being assigned a different priority. Bandwidth management may include Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) that allows the bandwidth of a network link to be divided among different groups and/or types of network traffic. Congestion notification allows a network switching device to notify the peer devices at the other end of each network link that it is congested and can no longer receive and/or handle additional network traffic.
In order to support DCB, the network devices using DCB should be consistently configured. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide improved systems and methods for managing the configuration of network devices using DCB, including the automated DCB configuration of access switches.